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29 April 2020

Help to the NSW Police Force

Over the 20 years that I've been returning medals I've developed some research skills that might not be apparent to others. That is why I really enjoy helping other agencies when a medal comes their way.
Today's search for the family of a WWII veteran started with a message from Senior Constable D of the NSW Police Force. D had a 1939-45 Australian Service Medal and was seeking the family but was stuck at the point of only knowing the general location where the veteran was from. While the details of the veteran and his wife were easy to follow until their deaths in the 1980s the real challenge was working out who their children were. I knew they had two daughters but working out their married names was the real challenge.
One obscure reference gave me a clue of what one daughter's first name was. I then lined this up with just one NSW marriage record from 1955. This gave me a married name and from there it was easy. The soldier's daughter had given her maiden name to her her son as his middle name.
I was certain that I had the right family so provided the details to D who responded that the contact details I gave him were in the same regional area that he is.
Five minutes later, D messaged me to say that I was spot on and he had just spoken to a very emotional grandson.
I might be able to add some detail to this story in the future but if not, knowing that I could assist the NSW Police was very satisfying.
The returned medal tally is now 2463